2 Chronicles 34:6

6 Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins ^[a] around them.

2 Chronicles 34:6 Meaning and Commentary

2 Chronicles 34:6

And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and
Simeon, even unto Naphtali
Which though they belonged to the ten tribes, yet these being carried captive by the king of Assyria, they that were left became subject to the kings of Judah, (See Gill on 2 Kings 23:19),

with their mattocks round about;
or hammers or mauls, as Kimchi, or pick axes, such sort of instruments as were used in demolishing altars and images: the Targum is,

``in the house of their desolation;''

and so other versions, "in their desolate places" ^F24, which were become such, the inhabitants being carried captive, and few left behind.

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 (Mhytbrtb) "in desolatis locis suis, [vel] eorum", Montanus, Tigurine version, Rambachius.

2 Chronicles 34:6 In-Context

4 Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.

5 Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

6 Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them.

7 He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or in the regions